"Sir, there's some strange reports coming in from one of the gates you issued."
"What is it? Is it the prince?" Ardyn wasn't interested. He was being followed by some name he doesn't remember, holding a tablet for him to see.
"No. It's an unknown swordsman. He's already taken down everything we've sent in retaliation."
Now that got his attention. He turned to have a look at the tablet. There he could see a blonde swordsman in a strange uniform single handedly taking down Magitech soldiers. There was a wild look to his eyes that drew Ardyn in.
"Oh, such hunger." He found himself smirking.
"Sir? What should we do?"
"He's still there?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll be taking myself there. Carry on as if you saw nothing."
"But sir, shouldn't we - "
"I would advise you not to finish that sentence, else you wouldn't want everyone to find out your little double life, would you?"
He didn't have to know the man's name to guess this individual was leaking information. The man scurried off. Ardyn planned to take care of the mole later, but first he had a swordsman to tame.
The travel didn't take long by airship. He watched below as the unknown swordsman continued to wipe out anyone and anything in sight that so much as move. He had just finished the last or the Magitech soldiers when the aircraft hovered close. Ardyn strolled out in confidence.
Spiked platinum blonde hair. Black vest, pants and boots. It strangely made him think of a military uniform. Only he couldn't name which one from any generation. A single shoulder guard with a wolf head on it. A strange sword that could detach into smaller ones.
But all of that wasn't what Ardyn found most intriguing.
The eyes kept flashing from blue to green. When they were green the irises turned into thin slits. The blue color was full of pain and suffering. But the green held a ravenous hunger. The hunger to destroy. And something about this man was otherworldly.
"Oh, are you the surprise inside that meteor a while back?" Ardyn advanced casually.
As he drew closer he saw the signs of Starscourge on the left shoulder and neck. Was this what drove this swordsman mad? Ardyn could understand all too well the side effects of Starscourge.
In a flash the blonde charged at him. Ardyn barely had time to react and parry. A smaller blade changed course to strike him. A laugh escaped as Ardyn blocked with his sword, appearing out of thin air. It had been so long since he's had to use his weapons to call forth.
The shorter swordsman shook his head, and suddenly Ardyn could see. A silver haired man who wasn't there a moment before stood, watching Ardyn. The green eyes were cold and made his blood freeze.
"Oh? And who would you be?" Ardyn addressed. The blonde swordsman jerked back and took a defensive stance. Those green eyes flickered with curiosity.
"You can see me? How... Peculiar." His voice had a way to draw people in more than his eyes.
"Don't..." The blonde tried to speak. A hand grasped the shoulder that didn't have the guard over, and he didn't finish his sentence. A smirk made Ardyn suddenly more wary.
In a blink of an eye the silver haired man disappeared. The blue eyes became green and irises into slits. So in a way he could possess the swordsman. Not one to sit still for long Ardyn began pacing very slowly, eyeing the other man up and down. Green eyes followed his every move.
It's like two predators sizing each other up. Ardyn almost chuckled at the thought.
"You possess the same powers as that boy."
Ardyn couldn't help the soft laugh. He didn't have to guess who he meant.
"Yes, my great grand nephew. He's got some learning to do before he can reach the full potential."
"I sense in you the power that is destroying this planet."
"Oh? Then what are you, some savior from another planet that travels around to rid the evils of the galaxy?"
"No, I'm in search of the Promised Land. However, we seem to be cut from the same cloth, you and I."
"Hm? And how is that?" Ardyn didn't get an answer when the blonde began to fight for control of his body.
"Get out of my head!" A sword swung at Ardyn. Once again he blocks, but notices how the swing didn't hold a lot of power behind it in comparison to before.
Taking advantage of the weakness Ardyn pushed back. He didn't have to use a lot of force to topple his opponent to the ground. Before the blonde could recover and regain his footing Ardyn was kneeling down and grasped a pale throat. At his touch the Starscourge spread further, making the blonde scream that made Ardyn smile.
Then he caught sight of something peculiar. As the disease advanced into a further stage it began to be absorbed into the skin. Ardyn pushed more, and the swordsman's body convulsed before blacking out from the immesurable pain.
Ardyn could sense whoever the other entity was, it grew stronger from the Starscourge. So he pulled his hand away and watched curiously as the marks disappeared. He could see faint strands of the blonde spikes turning silver.
"Curious, very curious." Ardyn said to himself.
"Sir, what are your orders?" A soldier approached.
"We take him with us, obviously." He wasn't going to let this opportunity slip.